Headline Surfer® photo / SANFORD, Fla. -- It has been a great Thanksgiving weekend here in Central Florida, though a little on the cooler side. But it sure beats that snowstorm my family and friends got hammered with in the Northeast.
My wife, Serafina, and I had Thanksgiving with her mom and two siblings and their families in nearby Lake Mary, here in Seminole County.
It has been a peaceful and relaxing holiday weekend. We didn't bother with the Black Friday madness. Some people even started shopping Thanksgiving night. What's the point? Great sales for the garden variety electronics most of us probably already have or don't really need in the first place?
Being sick for the past week probably dampened our enthusiasm a little, but we haven't really been tempted by these holiday sales pitches in the five years we've been married.
I do miss my son, Henry IV, who turned 21 last month. He moved up to Central Connecticut a year ago, which is kind of ironic because that's where I went to college and earned my bachelor's degree. I'm hoping he'll decide to continue his education, too.
As for the news, there's certainly plenty of it that yours truly is in the process of completing. Among the offerings:
• Turkey run from Bellair Plaza in Daytona Beach -- We've got 10 videos and a few dozen photos of antique cars and trucks; muscle cars and hot rods. There are even a few surprises like a Tonka truck, a Mustang pace car from the Indianapolis 500, plus your garden variety '57 Chevy's, Ford Galaxies, Volkswagen camper buses and even a Rambler and Corvair;
• A package of stories on the Ferguson, MO., situation with local reaction and a case in DeLand with similarities, except instead of a cop-involved shooting, its a cop-involved car chase fatality with a gruesome dash cam video. Plus, we have a look back at race relations issues in Daytona in a timeline and a race riot of a different kind back in 1956, that required calling in the National Guard, and a foe of Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood gives his take on why he believes the media-lovin' top cop might have been able to defuse the situation in Ferguson early on;
• Profile feature on our second annual "Central Florida Politician of the Year," which is at-large Volusia County Councilwoman Joyce Cusack, who has overcome much adversity in her personal life from an early age: growing up in segregation and not being allowed to frequent the World's Most Famous Beach®. Now she's a policy maker on issues like beach driving. And she overcame a lot of animosity in the 2014 elections, crushing her opponent and colleague of the dais, already term-limited in district 5 and now a lame-duck in office;
• Feature profile on Melody McSorley Johnson, elected to the Volusia County School Board in the August primary, who, along with her husband, adopted three children a few years ago;
• Continuing coverage on the Teamsters and contract negotiations with Volusia County government for the 400-plus deputies and sergeants in the Volusia County Sheriff's Office seeking wages comparable to what their counterparts in neighboring counties are making, especially after the county gave $20 million to the Speedway;
• Report on semi-annual violent crime stats shows a continuing downward trend throughout the Sunshine State and in Volusia County, with one noticeable exception, Daytona Beach; plus a look at one of the most violent locales -- the county's parking garage next to the Ocean Center;
• Making the Grade report card on insider influence on Daytona State College and the out sting of yet another campus president;
• The continuing scandal in the New Smyrna Beach Police Department in the wake of the evidence room theft scandal;
• The Sunday Conversation: The controversial Rails to Trails has Osteen and Oak Hill homeowners up in arms;
• Continuing the countdown on the Top 500 newsmakers plus the Top 1,000 Worst of the Worst Motorsport crashes and much more. We hope that you enjoy what's left off the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, stay safe and enjoy our award-winning coverage of the news that matters most.
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